Franklin Park Zoo
park
Franklin Park
address
42.303922, -71.093122
Neighborhood
Roxbury
Hours
April 1 through September 30:
Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
October 1 through March 31:
Daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Accessibility
The Franklin Park Zoo is fully handicap accessible and offers several accommodations, including wheelchair rentals, sensory-inclusive resources, and accessible parking.

Family Day Out
About
While a naturalistic, zoological garden was built into Frederick Law Olmsted's plans for Franklin Park, the Franklin Park Zoo opened in 1912 with a more traditional design from landscape architect Arthur Shurcliff. The zoo was managed by the Boston Parks Department, free to all, and very popular, receiving well over a million visitors a year by 1920.
Dwindling attendance and funds over the course of the Great Depression and World War II resulted in the Zoo falling into disrepair, and the Zoo's management was taken over by the Commonwealth in 1958. Modernization and revitalization of the Zoo's exhibits and infrastructure in the following decades have brought the Zoo accreditation, increasing numbers of visitors and financial stability. Today, under the management of Zoo New England it is a popular destination for families, naturalists and school field trips.
explore for

Marveling at Big Exhibits

Attending Daily Keeper Chats

Snacking in Nature
did you know?
The Franklin Park Zoo is home to more than 220 unique animal species, including lions, tigers, camels, wildebeests, emus, ocelots and an Andean condor.




